Helen Doherty
she/her
MeanTime
Words and meanings have always changed over time in response to social shifts. Sometimes, authoritarian regimes impose change from above which can be met with resistance from below.
My 'Short Encyclopaedia of Contested Words' contains responses in different formats to words shunned by the Trump administration. In 2025, U.S. federal government employees were strongly advised to avoid over 100 words in public communication. This hand-bound encyclopaedia volume contains entries for listed words but breaks with encyclopaedic authority. Selected contributions include personal interpretations, critical reflections, poems, and images. Readers are invited to read and engage with these responses.
A clock with a faceless face is seen nearby: there are no numbers, hours or minutes, just the seconds revolving in a mesmeric cycle. Shreds of print paper are caught on the clock spindle so that they rise and tumble while snagged in time. Words in time, and out of time, tumble around.